Looking for the article?
We have the summary! Get the key insights in just 5 minutes.

Rating

8Overall

10
Importance

7
Innovation

8
Style

Recommendation

Drawing from memorable headlines and watershed news stories, Guardian News and Media editor Katharine Viner delves deeply into the journalistic land mine of social media. At the heart of her discussion is a central question: “Does the truth matter anymore?” Digital technology allows unprecedented access to the stories of the day, but given a barrage of clickbait, friend feeds and news stories, how can people separate fact from fiction? Viner makes a persuasive argument for honoring traditional journalistic values at a time when the public may need it more than ever. getAbstract recommends this article to media and journalism professionals, as well as news consumers.

In this summary, you will learn

How technology and social media have increased the speed and reach of news stories regardless of their truth, and

How increased dependence on technology has led to layoffs in the journalism industry.

About the Author

Katharine Viner became a Guardian writer in 2007 and is currently editor-in-chief of Guardian News and Media.

Summary

In September 2015, then British prime minister David Cameron stood at the center of public spectacle and scrutiny amid rumors of lewd behavior with a dead pig’s head. Within the 24-hour news cycle, the hashtags #Piggate and #Hameron trended, senior politicians chimed in, and the BBC issued denials against the allegations. A televised interview the following day revealed the story to be without factual merit, but it was too late; the damage was done.